Political Vitriol, Getting Us Nowhere
July 23, 2014I’ve been trying to be more tactful while using Facebook, including using it less. That’s why, when I wrote up the following in response to a friend’s remark on Obama, I decided to hold my tongue there and just publish it here. It seemed like the more cathartic way of handling it without getting into a useless argument with an old friend. They’re not going to convince me and I’m not going to convince them.
Ah yes, [redacted]’s unending hate for Obama. Mostly because of a single law. A law that has helped my sister and mother since it was released. People who, had we been in a less fortunate situation, would’ve had even harder lives than they already have. A law that allowed my sister a window to stay on on parents’ health plan and cover the costs of her diabetes medication after graduating college while she was looking for a job. Diabetes that was brought on by an unfortunate combination of genetics and a triggering event, not inactivity or poor diet. A law that allowed my father to switch jobs without fear of my mother’s stroke recovery treatments not being covered because it was a pre-existing condition. A stroke likely caused by exercise and staying fit.
Previously, my parents would’ve burned through savings for their retirement in order to cover both of these things. I can’t imagine what would’ve happened if my father hadn’t had a good career where he was successful enough to save at all.
You may have issues with parts of the law and that’s certainly fair. I’m sure it’ll get updated, refined and adjusted. And it should. I just know that there are real people out there who would’ve had a much harder life (on top of the difficulty brought on by their illnesses) were it not for this law.
Sure, that’s an emotional argument, an emotional appeal. Valuing people’s lives is an emotional thing.
When reading their comment, it reminded me both of my intense hatred of Bush in high school and college. I’m not sure if I’ve grown up or if it’s because I’ve tried to have less of a negative focus, but I don’t think that Bush & co were evil or trying to destroy this country. I think there were a lot of hasty decisions made. Decisions that many people could see from the outside as being poor and have been vindicated by history, but that certainly couldn’t have been the case. I don’t think, anymore, that they were trying to destroy the country.
Now I see the opposite side of the political spectrum with many people claiming Obama is trying to destroy the country.
On both sides, there are going to be mistakes. On both sides, people are trying to do the right thing. I happen to generally agree with what one of those sides says is the generally right thing. But this imagined good-against-evil attitude that both sides seem to have on their side is getting out of hand. I was a part of it for a long time.
But the important thing is that I’ve found a way to feel superior to them both.
